Next month marks a perennially delightful reading challenge: Middle Grade March! If you’re in need of some fun suggestions, I have a few! Here are some middle grade novels (some vintage, some recent) that I have enjoyed. I’ll link to previous mentions of these books, where I talk a bit more about them!

Ginnie and Geneva by Catherine Woolley [1940s friendship story]
The Secret School by Avi and its sequel, The Secret Sisters [historical fiction set in 1925 Colorado]
The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong [HF set in Holland]
Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan [contemporary family story with fantasy elements]
Stand in the Wind by Jean Little [1970s friendship story]
Alice Atherton’s Grand Tour by Lesley M. M. Blume [HF set in 1927 France]
R My Name is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff [HF set in 1930s New York]
The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo [HF with fantasy elements]
Family Grandstand & Family Sabbatical by Carol Ryrie Brink [1950s family stories]
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai [HF verse novel set in 1970s Vietnam & Alabama]
Honey Butter by Millie Florence [contemporary friendship story]
Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant [HF set in 1970s Indiana]
Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins [HF set in 1980s California]
From Anna by Jean Little (HF set in 1930s Germany & Canada]

and of course, my own books!

The Star That Always Stays [HF set in 1910s Michigan]
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry [HF set in 1910s Michigan]
The Blossoming Summer [HF set in 1940s England & Wisconsin]

I read so many delightful books in 2023! I revisited old favorites and found some new gems to treasure. I set a goal of 100 books for the year and ended up reading 150—and that’s not even including most of the many picture books I read!

Now it’s time for the books I loved:

One of the first novels I read in 2023 ended up being one of my very favorites of the year: Seacrow Island (1964) by Astrid Lindgren. As soon as I read the description in the front of the book that called it an “unforgettable summer holiday” that’s “perfect for fans of classic stories such as Little Women and Anne of Green Gables,” I knew I would love it. It’s a charming tale of a family who heads to the Swedish seaside for the summer and end up returning in the winter! It reminded me a lot of the Penderwicks (with elements such as a poetic father, four children, a dreamy yet responsible eldest sister, a big lovable dog, some beloved rabbits, and lots of adventures)—but it also had a distinct feel of its own.

I read a couple more books in the Drina series by Jean Estoril (Drina Dances in Exile [1959] and Drina Dances in Italy [1959]), which were utterly fabulous. I have always loved books about ballet, and these are kind of like Noel Streatfeild stories with a bit more advanced writing style, and with a cast full of multifaceted characters.

Speaking of multifaceted characters, Meet the Austins (1960) by Madeleine L’Engle was a joy. Last year I read the novella prequel and enjoyed it, so I assumed I would like this one as well. It definitely exceeded my expectations! There was never a dull moment in this story of a big, opinionated family who take in an orphaned girl, attempt to thwart their uncle’s marriage, and nearly run into major trouble on a trip to the sea. One of my favorite parts was when the family’s house loses power. Evidently the feelings and details of a power outage have not changed since the 1960s!

R My Name is Rachel (2011)—about a city family moving to a farm in the 1930s—was a delight. It was a recommendation from a friend that I just loved, and it was also my first time reading Patricia Reilly Giff. Thankfully, there are plenty more Giff books out there, including Willow Run (2005), which I also read this year. Willow Run had a big plot point was left completely unresolved, but Rachel had the sweetest, most satisfying ending I read all year.

I have read a bunch of L.M. Montgomery short stories, but never before have I come across a collection as lovely as Around the Hearth (2022), edited by Joanne Lebold. One of the best in this volume was Miss Curtis Comes, which reminded me so much of stories by Elizabeth Enright or Noel Streatfeild. (So basically, if you want to experience what might have transpired if LMM had started writing big family stories in the 1950s, get a copy!) There is also a fabulous novella called By Way of the Brick Oven, which has shades of Louisa May Alcott and the Vanderbeekers.

Mitali Perkins’ Hope in the Valley (2023) was a book I’d heard so many positive things about, and to my delight, it lived up to the hype.  Set in the 1980s and featuring an endearing protagonist fighting to save a historic place, this book is beautiful and deserves to win the Newbery next month!

I devoured the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series this fall, which follows a governess in Victorian England who takes care of children who were raised by wolves.  Maryrose Wood’s writing is old-fashioned and humorous, and my favorites were the first book (The Mysterious Howling, 2009) and the fourth book (The Interrupted Tale, 2013).

The Secret of Tate’s Beach (1926) was another amazing book by Augusta Huiell Seaman, who wrote one of my favorites from 2022 (Mystery on Heron Shoals Island). Seaman’s mysteries are so intriguing to me, as many of them take place at seaside locales in early 20^th century (kind of like my upcoming novel, The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry)!

Other books I greatly enjoyed:

• Prairie School (1951) by Lois Lenski, a survival story in the vein of The Long Winter
• Christine of the Fourth (1949) by W.E. Eastways, a British boarding school story
• Stillmeadow Calendar (1967) by Gladys Taber, essays about Connecticut farm life
• Ribsy (1964) by Beverly Cleary—so charming and funny
• Wedding Flowers (2002) by Cynthia Rylant, the final installment in the Cobble Street Cousins chapter book series
• Little House in the Highlands (1999) by Melissa Wiley, set in late 1700s Scotland
• Village Christmas (1966) by Miss Read, a sweet holiday novella

My favorite audiobooks were A Place to Hang the Moon (2021) by Kate Albus and narrated by Polly Lee, the Gone-Away Lake series (1957-61) by Elizabeth Enright and narrated by Colleen Delany, the full-cast BBC dramatization of Ballet Shoes (1936) narrated by Rosemary Leach, and Schoolroom in the Parlor (1959) by Rebecca Caudill and narrated by Mary Sarah Agliotta.

I also read dozens of picture books this year, and a few that come to mind as especial favorites are:

• Home in the Woods (2019) by Eliza Wheeler (absolutely wonderful!)
• Sarah Mackenzie’s A Little More Beautiful (2023, illustrated by Breezy Brookshire) and While Everyone Is Sleeping (2023, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard)
• Hello Lighthouse (2018) by Sophie Blackall
• Andrew Henry’s Meadow (1965) by Doris Bunn
• A Big Mooncake for Little Star (2018) by Grace Lin
• Goodnight, Anne (2018) by Kallie George, illustrated by Geneviève Godbout
• Blueberries for the Queen (2004) by Katherine & John Paterson, illustrated by Susan Jeffers

My absolute favorite re-reads included The Sea Is All Around (1940) by Elizabeth Enright, Mine for Keeps (1962) by Jean Little, the Mitchells series by Hilda van Stockum (1945-60), Theatre Shoes (1944) by Noel Streatfeild, Betsy in Spite of Herself (1946) by Maud Hart Lovelace, The Golden Name Day (1955) by Jennie D. Lindquist, The Penderwicks (2005) by Jeanne Birdsall (here is my review from this summer’s reading challenge), the first four Anne books by L.M. Montgomery (1908-36), and Ramona and Her Father (1977) by Beverly Cleary.

All in all, it was a fantastic reading year, and there are so many more books I’m excited to experience in 2024. One of my most anticipated reads is Rosetown Always, the finale to the Rosetown trilogy by Cynthia Rylant.

What did you enjoy reading in 2023? What are some books you’re excited about for 2024?